daybreak
by chidorinnn
Summary: Because Konan is just as much a leader to these children as Nagato is.


_I've always liked the idea of Konan being a sort of big sister, maybe maternal figure to the younger members of Akatsuki, like Itachi and Deidara. Kindness and compassion like she expressed in her childhood don't just disappear, no matter what the world throws at you._

* * *

She refuses to hold her tongue any longer when she hears Itachi coughing for the fifth night in a row.

It's not her place to meddle, Konan reasons, because Itachi Uchiha is a grown man, and just because she happens to be older than him doesn't mean that she has any right to interfere in his personal affairs.

His coughing dies down briefly to be replaced by a pained groan, and Konan sighs.

No, it _is_ her place to meddle, Konan quickly concludes. It _is_ her place as co-leader of Akatsuki, as the pseudo-big sister to the younger members of the organization. As Itachi starts coughing again, she steels her resolve and makes her way to his corner of the hideout with water and probably ineffective cold medicine.

He's curled into himself on his futon, visibly shivering even under the thick blanket that looks out of place in Amegakure's humid, muggy climate. When he fails to react as she sits next to him, something that would snap any hardened ninja into high alert, Konan tries not to worry.

For a moment, it's like she's fifteen instead of thirty-five, and the boy before her now is one of the many mercenaries under Yahiko's care instead of a subordinate who likely wouldn't give her a second glance in any other case. She considers asking Nagato to ease Itachi's pain with his Rinnegan for all of ten seconds before realizing that it would probably do Nagato more harm than it would do Itachi good.

Itachi's eyebrows knot together as she lays her hand on his forehead. It's hard not to think of him as a child now, when his eyes flutter open and refuse to focus. He's feverish, she quickly realizes, too feverish to be able to carry out any sort of mission in the near future.

And maybe it's the way he looks at her then – maybe it's the way his eyes narrow in something akin to despair that sends a deluge of guilt washing over her – guilt for being the reason Yahiko died, guilt for failing to protect Sasori and Deidara and Kakuzu and Hidan and everyone who had died under her watch, guilt for being unable to help Nagato more than simply standing by his side and taking care of his health when he forgets to in the heat of the organization's grand schemes…

… and it's Itachi dying on her watch now, wasting away slowly despite plans to die in battle that he isn't all that good at hiding. And yes, maybe he did only join Akatsuki by dishonest means, to leak information to the village he claims to have betrayed, but he's still her comrade, and she has a duty toward him.

His coughs grow more violent, and Konan gently props him up, one hand on his back and another tightly grasping his hand as blood splatters on his clothes, on the blanket, and on her sleeve.

He doesn't say anything as she wipes his mouth and his hands with her clean sleeve. He doesn't say anything as he shakes his head when she gestures toward the medicine and lies back down, but he doesn't let go of her hand, and she'd like to think that they've come to some sort of understanding.

She waits an hour after he falls asleep, still holding his hand, before she goes to prepare Nagato's medicine for the day.

* * *

Three days later, it's Itachi's brother who stands before him instead of Itachi himself, and he's just as broken as Itachi had been. There's rage radiating off him – pure, violent rage – and Konan considers chastising Tobi for not breaking the truth to him more gently for all of ten seconds before taking matters into her own hands.

The only photo she has of Itachi is from a bingo book, but she cuts it out and frames it anyway. She doesn't miss the way Itachi's brother watches her as she conjures a cluster of paper flowers and lights incense for her fallen comrade.

"The rain will stop one day," she says not entirely to Itachi's brother, not entirely to herself, "and daybreak will come."


End file.
